Thailand vs. Malaysia, some observations

[StreetCowboy]

Comparing Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, it’s probably easier to avoid cycling on highways in Bangkok where they are more generally grade-separated. Other than that, cycling in and around KL is great, you can easily get into the countryside and there are some beautiful cycling roads even in the city centre

[Nyezhov]

4 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

Comparing Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, it’s probably easier to avoid cycling on highways in Bangkok where they are more generally grade-separated. Other than that, cycling in and around KL is great, you can easily get into the countryside and there are some beautiful cycling roads even in the city centre

Yeah thats how I want to compare Asian cities to spend my golden years...the comparative ability to avoid cycling death by some yabaa freak in an Izusu....

 

Im sick of Bangkok! They dont have bike lanes and they are mean to foreigners. Im going to Malaysia where they have bike lanes and beleive in the religion of peace. Plus I want to let my hair down a bit, I want to spray paint my Scouser pride on some monument, bet those nice Malays wont get all bent out of shape..look...an old Mosque! Perfect!

[StreetCowboy]

12 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Yeah thats how I want to compare Asian cities to spend my golden years...the comparative ability to avoid cycling death by some yabaa freak in an Izusu....

 

Im sick of Bangkok! They dont have bike lanes and they are mean to foreigners. Im going to Malaysia where they have bike lanes and beleive in the religion of peace. Plus I want to let my hair down a bit, I want to spray paint my Scouser pride on some monument, bet those nice Malays wont get all bent out of shape..look...an old Mosque! Perfect!

I'm enjoying the Cycling Tour of UAE, but a lot of those riders are a good bit younger than me.

 

Not as much greenery and shade as the roads we ride in KL, though.

[watcharacters]

On 2/27/2019 at 1:12 PM, Essex Reject said:

My thoughts are that is sounds as boring as h*ll

 

 

What are you looking for,  reject?

[StreetCowboy]

4 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

What are you looking for,  reject?

I enjoyed the Highland Games last weekend,  One of the ladies in the beer tent had lovely cold hands from fishing for beer cans in the iced water

[AdamKnight]

10 hours ago, connda said:

For those of us here for something other than (and let be paraphrase Jimmy Buffet) getting drunk and screwing, then Malaysia sound like a good alternative to Thailand. 

Another place that has a reasonable retirement program is Sri Lanka ($15000 in a Sri Lankan bank and proof of health insurance and Bob's your uncle for a visa renewable every two years).  For those motivated to look around in Southeast and Central Asia for alternatives to retirement in Thailand, Sri Lanka might be an interesting place to check out.  Well, for those whose primary goal in life is something other than 'get drunk and screw' that is.  

I truly like Sri lanka, it's a GREAT place to adventure around in a natural environment and am always impressed by the extreme tameness of birds and animals .. I don't know of another place like it. It's fun to drive in Sri lanka, hotels are very quaint, stylish and dirt cheap as well. About the girls, they're around and available but not as easy to break the ice like it is in Thailand or Taiwan. And nowhere is easier than the Philippines in that regard as I guess we all know already.  A bit more ramble: About Malaysia, it's also a great hiking biking swimming dining place with a lot of variety.  Why does it have to be all Thailand or all Malaysia or all Sri Lanka?  It's so cheap to pop in and out of SE Asian countries (and Taiwan) I don't see any need to stay more than 5 mo out of the year in Thailand when there are so many other places to miss out on by planting in one place too much. Pattaya and Phuket lost all attraction for me years ago, love the north in general although Chiang Mai has morphed into an overdeveloped, congested, polluted Asian city yet still love it if only for great memories.  I'm more into further north and along the Mekong these days. I'm not ready to croak stuck in only one place in Asia. Some pretty good expats are hanging out in the north of Thailand to motor sickle around with, scheme chickies, cook up visa run adventures. The one good thing about the BS immigration hoopla in Thailand is that it is a good excuse to "run oft" and gets you out of the clingy chick thing ultra conveniently. Right? It's not our fault that we can't stay forever and ever.

About drinking and screwing : Two totally different things because too much alcohol just subtracts from everything IMHO.. physical fitness, time, money and doing cool things the next day. Whereas screwing adds value.

[Bogbrush]

I also think Sri Lanka has a lot to offer but the fly in the ointment as far as I was concerned last time I looked at the regulations was that the medical insurance had to be locally purchased. That could be huge..

[JackGats]

18 hours ago, roo860 said:

I'd be more concerned with the restaurant food bill if entertaining anyone from Ethiopia!

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

Ethiopian Airlines is not limited to passengers from Ethiopia

[roo860]

Ethiopian Airlines is not limited to passengers from Ethiopia

Thanks that's hopefully saved me a few quid.

[emoji849]

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

[manly36]

I've been living in Malaysia for 3 months now because of work commitments after 6 years in Thailand(primarily Phuket) and the 2 do not compare. KL might be modern and more advanced but it is boring as hell. Nothing to do and a conservative approach to everything. Bohemian Rhapsody was not allowed to be screened here is a prime example. Another example is when i went on a short trip to Port Dickson to go to some beaches which i have missed so much after my time in Phuket. I was shocked to see everyone in the water was fully clothed. Even men were swimming with shirts and long pants. I was the only one topless and with board shorts and to say I was uncomfortable with the stares is an understatement. The locals here have no concept of fun. Also if you enjoy a couple of beverages be prepared to pay 250 baht for a pint at any decent establishment. Give me dysfunctional Thailand anytime over Malaysia and as soon as my 18 month work contract is over i will be running straight back.

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, manly36 said:

I've been living in Malaysia for 3 months now because of work commitments after 6 years in Thailand(primarily Phuket) and the 2 do not compare. KL might be modern and more advanced but it is boring as hell.

 

I was the only one topless and with board shorts and to say I was uncomfortable with the stares is an understatement. The locals here have no concept of fun. 

I often have stop-overs in KL for flights CNX to MNL, sometimes 8hrs.

KL is so dull I usually just stay at the airport, not worth the trip to town.

 

Why didn't you keep your shirt on?

Edited March 2, 2019 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

On 2/28/2019 at 9:36 PM, AdamKnight said:

About drinking and screwing : Two totally different things because too much alcohol just subtracts from everything IMHO.. physical fitness, time, money and doing cool things the next day. Whereas screwing adds value.

Don't agree, I get drunk every day but still manage to walk 10Km in the jungle a couple of times a week.

Top of 'Goat mountain', near San Kampaeng yesterday.

 

[adammike]

On 2/27/2019 at 9:10 PM, lust said:

Muslims hate dogs. Maybe that’s your scene, certainly not mine.

That works for me.I have been to Thailand every Jan/Feb for about 25 years the soi/beach dog situation means that this will be my last trip.The reason nowadays I visit is to get away from the Dutch weather, I can't stand the bars anymore just about a non drinker, I can't afford the Gogo's and am on a pension so I need to budget.What I want is to be able to walk for 15-20km a day away from the traffic that's just about impossible in Thailand because of the packs of dogs they are everywhere,I don't want to arm myself with sticks and pepper spray(illegal 10,000baht fine) or poison them, Until the Thais sort it out I won't be back.

[adammike]

What about the beaches? KL is just the place the place you fly into do a couple of days of tourist stuff and then head for the hills or coast and what about the bit of Borneo that's Malaysian? Forget the hookers and the price of beer please.How's the accomodation for an old man on a budget and the price of bus travel from town to town.

[BritManToo]

34 minutes ago, adammike said:

What I want is to be able to walk for 15-20km a day away from the traffic that's just about impossible in Thailand because of the packs of dogs they are everywhere,

I hardly ever see dogs on the mountains, none yesterday.

Come up to Chiang Mai.

Edited March 2, 2019 by BritManToo

[marcusarelus]

How do you get a yearly visa?  Don't you have to deposit a million MYR in the bank and have a pension of $2500 per month and buy some kind of health insurance?  MM2H

[YogaVeg]

5 hours ago, manly36 said:

KL might be modern and more advanced but it is boring as hell. Nothing to do and a conservative approach to everything. Bohemian Rhapsody was not allowed to be screened here is a prime example. Another example is when i went on a short trip to Port Dickson to go to some beaches which i have missed so much after my time in Phuket. I was shocked to see everyone in the water was fully clothed. Even men were swimming with shirts and long pants. 

?? Strange alternative universes I guess.

 

I was at popular Penang and Langkawi beaches where 90% of the people were in regular swimming attire and bikinis. 

 

I've hiked the parks and jungles extensively so for those who enjoy outdoor activities like (safely) biking, hiking, walking jungle canopies, jogging massive green areas there is plenty to do.

 

At night the streets and bars were packed at night market until way late.

 

And Bohemian Rhapsody is playing right now at theaters across KL!

 

Edited March 2, 2019 by YogaVeg

[marcusarelus]

They tell me now one can only stay for 90 days and they you have to leave for a year or so?  Is that true?

[YogaVeg]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I hardly ever see dogs on the mountains, none yesterday.

Come up to Chiang Mai.

Just Google Chiang Mai and dog attacks lol.

The streets of Chiang Mai are filled with feral dogs.

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, YogaVeg said:

Just Google Chiang Mai and dog attacks lol.

The streets of Chiang Mai are filled with feral dogs.

But the mountains surrounding CM aren't.

[StreetCowboy]

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Don't agree, I get drunk every day but still manage to walk 10Km in the jungle a couple of times a week.

Top of 'Goat mountain', near San Kampaeng yesterday.

 

That photo’s given me a bit of a thirst.  How far is it to the nearest draught cider?

 

Edited March 2, 2019 by StreetCowboy

[YogaVeg]

4 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

They tell me now one can only stay for 90 days and they you have to leave for a year or so?  Is that true?

My friend who lives there says: 2 x 90 day stays (no visa required, USA citizen) are rubber stamped provided you leave for longer than a week between them. 

On the 3rd 90 day attempt, you are looked at carefully and it's 'at IO discrection'.

 

You won't get a 4th (but that's over 9 months now excluding visa runs) but there is a possibility of 'extentions' but they are more of a hassle than just border running.

 

Considerably less conservative than Thailand in that regard.

[marcusarelus]

3 minutes ago, YogaVeg said:

My friend who lives there says: 2 x 90 day stays (no visa required, USA citizen) are rubber stamped provided you leave for longer than a week between them. 

On the 3rd 90 day attempt, you are looked at carefully and it's 'at IO discrection'.

 

You won't get a 4th (but that's over 9 months now excluding visa runs) but there is a possibility of 'extentions' but they are more of a hassle than just border running.

 

Considerably less conservative than Thailand in that regard.

Thailand is 2 years for an O-A visa.  Seems far far far easier than Malaysia for 90 days!

[YogaVeg]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

But the mountains surrounding CM aren't.

C'mon now!

What mountains anywhere in the world have feral dog issues? Or cats? Or pigeons for that matter? None! 

Because those are the creatures of urban living.

[BritManToo]

Just now, YogaVeg said:

C'mon now!

What mountains anywhere in the world have feral dog issues? Or cats? Or pigeons for that matter? None! 

Because those are the creatures of urban living.

There seem to be lots on the beaches in Thailand.

[YogaVeg]

4 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Thailand is 2 years for an O-A visa.  Seems far far far easier than Malaysia for 90 days!

Easier how? Doesn't that O-A visa require 800,000 baht tied up losing interest in a Thai bank? Isn't Thailand perpetually making the visa rules tougher these days? 

Seems like apples to oranges here.

[adammike]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I hardly ever see dogs on the mountains, none yesterday.

Come up to Chiang Mai.

I don't want to see any dogs unless they are with their keeper and on a lead,I am in Jomtien and I just want to be able to walk around early in the morning before it gets really hot, even walking along beach road is not a good feeling.if you are only here for the bars and girls it may be ok but good luck staggering home pissed down some of the soi's late at night.

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, YogaVeg said:

Easier how? Doesn't that O-A visa require 800,000 baht tied up losing interest in a Thai bank?

No.

[YogaVeg]

15 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

No.

Ah, I see it just requires proof of the money, in addition to being 50 years old. And 90 day reporting. 

Sounds easy-peasy, I would've thunk it was harder to retire in Thailand given the volume of bellyaching on this forum.

 

I'm guessing one has to commit to a province/address and not bounce around the country like a traveler? Or can you just report wherever you want to live at the moment and mix it up?

So why doesn't everyone just get the retirement visa? (If the meet those 2 basic reqs obviously).

 

Anyone in the know care to compare/contrast retirement prerequisites in Thailand and Malaysia?

 

I'm just curious, I've not settling down any time soon, but it's good to know the options.

[marcusarelus]

34 minutes ago, YogaVeg said:

Easier how? Doesn't that O-A visa require 800,000 baht tied up losing interest in a Thai bank? Isn't Thailand perpetually making the visa rules tougher these days? 

Seems like apples to oranges here.

No.  Look it up.